1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to enclosures for bathtubs and showers and more particularly pertains to a new bathtub enclosure for providing a leak proof enclosure for bathtubs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of enclosures for bathtubs and showers is known in the prior art. More specifically, enclosures for bathtubs and showers heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,708; U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,132; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 334,682; U.S. Pat. No. 5,055,155; U.S. Pat. No. 4,916,764; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,001.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new bathtub enclosure. The inventive device includes an outer frame having a generally open rectangular configuration with spaced apart elongate top and bottom bars, and a pair of spaced apart elongate side bars extending between the top and bottom bars. The bars of the outer frame define a central space therebetween. The bottom bar is designed for attachment to the top of a side wall of a bathtub. The top bar is designed for attachment to a ceiling structure above the side wall of the bathtub. A first of the side bars is designed for attachment to a wall structure adjacent one end of the bathtub. A second of the side bars is designed for attachment to a wall structure adjacent another end of the bathtub. A pair of panels are provided in the central space of the outer frame. Each of the panels is extended between the top and bottom bars. One of the panels is positioned adjacent one of the side bars. Another of the panels is positioned adjacent another of the side bars. Each of the panels has an arcuate inner edges facing one another. The arcuate inner edges define therebetween a central opening sized for permitting a person to pass therethrough. The top bar has a blind assembly therein which has a retractably extendable flexible blind. The flexible blind is downwardly extendable from a retracted position in the top bar to a lowered position to substantially close the central opening between the panels.
In these respects, the bathtub enclosure according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing a leak proof enclosure for bathtubs.